Shaving Heads, Playing Games and Supporting Charity at Highlands

Most schools throw some type of end-of-year party, field day or other recognition that summer fun is about to begin. And for the second year now, Highlands District 106 turned their bash into a fundraiser for local homelessness charity BEDS—mostly by shaving a bunch of their heads.

Gathering behind Highlands Middle School on Friday afternoon, students, their parents and faculty raised (at least) $25 apiece in donations for a free haircut—in most cases, a full shave. (Girls opted for trims instead.) Across the rest of the field, a variety of other paid-ticket games and competitions added to the fundraising, along with a 3-vs-3 basketball tournament indoors.

The “Shave for the Homeless” event is the brainchild of Tom Hinshaw, an Indian Head Park resident who began it six years ago out of his own backyard after friends of his sons began offering him a few bucks apiece to go fully bald.

“All of a sudden, I’ve got $200,” Hinshaw laughed. “I didn’t want to keep the money, and I love BEDS—they’re a good organization, and homelessness is one of my causes—so I gave them the money.”

In the years since, Hinshaw has worked with BEDS to expand the event into a full-blown collaboration with District 106, from three shaved heads in his backyard the second year to 77 in 2010.

Highlands teachers each took a turn in the dunk tank, while other students painted each others faces, tossed footballs through tires and held watermelon-eating contests.

“I’m always kind of emotional at these events people are really enthusiastic and they rally behind our mission to help the homeless,” said BEDS development director Sue Michalowski, who was on hand. “We’re able to operate on a shoestring budget because we have guys like Tom in the community who not only do all this work for us, but also raise money.”

A preliminary estimate was that the event raised about $9,150 for BEDS.

Two of the recently-shaved were Highlands Elementary principal and Western Springs resident Brian Graber and his four-year-old son Jake.

“BEDS is a great organization, and it’s good to know that the District is supporting them,” said the older Graber. “We’re fortunate to be a part of it.”

“I stayed very still,” Jake added proudly. “I didn’t even move my head!”

Hinshaw said that his ultimate hope is to expand the Shave For the Homeless program even further, perhaps to other schools and beyond.

“The homeless need our help, and that’s what we’re here to do—raise money and awareness for the homeless,” he said.